Edward Tried to Ignore It
by SilverSnow19
Summary: Edward was a kind vampire. So much so that he couldn't bring himself to drink from the little fluff ball purring in the tree, even if it did smell like strawberries. Bella was fascinated. She was also a cat at will. What better way to approach her fascination than to purr her way into its life?
1. Chapter 1

Oh-oh...another weird idea slipped into my mind. I tried not to write it, I did! but in sneaked onto paper without me knowing it_! _This is a short chapter. A taste of the story I guess. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight characters. They belong to the great S.M.**

* * *

_Saturday_

Edward was trying to ignore it. He really was. He had put his headphones on an hour ago and had hoped his classical music would camouflage the little heartbeat. It did. Only, the unnerved vampire could still _feel_ the presence staring at him intently through the glass of his bedroom windows.

The fruity smell carried by Fork's wind didn't help. It was enticing and entirely abnormal for a housecat. He hadn't let himself succumb to it. Something about draining blood from a cat just didn't feel right; especially not when it had an owner. The dark blue collar around its neck was proof of that.

The vampire took his headphones off and sighed. He turned around and met the little creature's gaze.

"What do you want?" the soft musical voice questioned, a tad irritated. Of course, the small fluffy brown cat did not speak. It stayed in the nearest tree and blinked innocently. Its tail swished occasionally from side to side, like a lazy pendulum.

"You should leave. Leave or I'll eat you" Edward said before he turned his eyes back onto the page of a book he was reading. He didn't actually think the feline could hear him and he didn't really intend on devouring the animal. But if the cat didn't leave and the window somehow opened, the creature would find sharp teeth digging at its neck in no time. The smell was bad enough with the windows shut.

The vampire's sensitive ears picked up on a small sniff. He looked up to the creature again and frowned. He peered at the near distance and studied the little creature's face. It almost seemed like it was doubting his words. It almost seemed…skeptical. That was not possible.

Edward chased the silly though away and took on a good glare.

"Just go home" he told the feline.

As if on cue, the cat sniffed again…and it glared back. It actually glared. There were human expressions on that annoying fluff ball!

Someone knocked at his door and entered without a reply.

"Hey man! Who are you talking to?" Emmett, a tower of muscle, asked.

When he noticed the vampire-cat stare down, Emmett burst into laughter.

"Making friends with a pussycat?" he teased with a wide grin. Edward was not amused.

"It's been there for over an hour" he explained with a light growl. "It keeps staring at me and I've been swallowing venom all this time because, somehow, it smells like strawberries!"

Emmett didn't sympathize. He laughed wholeheartedly.

"Just chase it away."

"I can't. If I open that window to scare it, I'll kill it for sure. Its blood calls to me" Edward argued.

Emmett frowned. "So? It's just a cat. Eat it!"

"It's _someone's_ cat" Edward pointed out.

His brother snickered. "You're such a softy."

Silence fell for a minute while the cheeky vampire studied the little ball of fur resting in the tree. Eventually, Emmett decided to ask a question that particularly annoyed the bronze-haired boy.

"Don't you think it's weird? It does smell good but not entirely appetizing to me. Do you think it's a singer?" He laughed at his own musing. "A cat can't be a signer" he said between chuckles.

Edward gritted his teeth and fought the unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt sick at the idea of a cat being a singer, his singer. He would have to speak with Carlisle about this. He'd be the least likely to laugh.

The vampire sighed. This was ridiculous. If only the cat didn't have that collar, things would end in a flash. He would have the nerves to drain the creature's veins. But, at last, someone was waiting for the return of their precious housecat. He couldn't bring himself to kill it. Emmett was right; he _was_ soft.

"Lucky cat" he muttered under his breath, glaring at it once more.

The other Cullens were out hunting. A few minute before their return, the brown cat finally left its tree. It glanced one last time at the vampire it had been observing before jumping almost clumsily to the ground. It disappeared into the forest and Edward hoped to never see it again. Its smell was too tempting.

There was something else too, something in that creature's gaze…

An uncanny glint of intelligence.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi all! Thanks for your lovely support! Here's the next chapter. I'm having lots of fun writing this and knowing you like it makes it even better :)_

**_Disclaimer: Twilight characters belong to S.M. _****_Miaow!_**

* * *

_Sunday_

"No. Don't tell me it's…No! I refuse this!"

Edward had been in his room reading quietly again. It was early evening and he'd hope for undisturbed peace. But there it was again, that brown fluffy meal. He couldn't smell the creature this time since the wind had taken an opposite direction but he could see and hear it. It was prancing its clumsy way towards him.

"What does it want?" the vampire questioned with mild irritation. He didn't want the temptation nearby. He also didn't want another repeat of yesterday. God forbade Emmett should ever shut his trap so the idiot had told the family about his new _friend_. Everyone had laughed. Everyone.

Edward got up from his couch and marched down the stairs and out of the house. He wasn't going to suffer the creature's obsessive curiosity again.

"I'm going for a hunt" he said crossly and counted on his family's sharp hearing to capture his words.

Edward came back after a few hours. He was pleasantly satiated. He felt good and optimistic. Surely, the cat would be gone. It wouldn't have stayed that long.

When the vampire entered his room again, rage and venom flooded him. The cat was gone, yes. However, something more terrible than its distant nuisance was present. The smell of strawberries invaded his room.

"Oh-oh…" Edward heard from the first floor. It was an "oh-oh" full of guilt. His eyes focused on the floor as if he could somehow see through it and glower at his sister.

"Alice?" he growled threateningly. "What did you do?"

Silence met him.

In a flash, he carried himself to the living room where he attempted to murder the pixie with his glare.

"Alice!" he growled. Jasper stepped in and the furious vampire felt himself calm down against his will.

"Drop the glare" the blond vampire demanded, moving in front of his mate and taking a protective stance.

Edward took a deep breath and released his rage. His good mood, however, didn't return.

"Drop the alphabet, Alice. What did you do?" he asked in a more reasonable tone.

The pixie looked to the floor and closed her eyes. Reluctantly, she stopped her mental singing of the ABCs and let the memories of her mistake flood her mind.

Edward picked up on the image of the little cat. Alice was in his room, speaking to it from a minimal distance, the window opened. The animal was on the windowsill and didn't seem scared at all. It should have been. Vampires inspired fear in any living creature with proper instincts. Edward would have said it was retarded but that didn't seem quite true. Even through Alice's eyes he could see the intelligence in the feline's gaze.

He watched his sister beckon the cat over and repeatedly comment on its cuteness. The animal considered the invitation before it jumped into the room. It dodged the pixie's open arms and aimed for the couch instead. For a short while, the cat rubbed itself against the fabric. Finally, it curled into a sleepy ball.

Alice watched it breathe peacefully and, after a moment, tried to pat its head. The animal sensed the gesture and jumped from the couch and out the window before she could try again. The memory ended there.

"You let it in despite was Emmett told you yesterday?" Edward said in angered disbelief. "You knew the smell would _kill_ me!"

Alice cringed. "I'm so sorry. I just…I couldn't resist. It's the first time an animal got so close and it was just so adorable! You have to admit it is!"

Edward closed his eyes and tried very hard not to growl again. Alice was a pain sometimes. "Do not go in my room again, Alice, and do not let the cat in the house" he said. "Now go clean my couch or dispose of it" the vampire demanded. "I can't live with the smell."

* * *

_Monday_

Edward was feeling particularly irritable and the others knew it. He'd caught Alice thinking he was man-PSM'ing.

He had every right to feel grouchy. The couch was gone but his room had smelled for hours after the incident and now he was faced with the source of his misery again. The brown cat was outside his window. Worse, it no longer contented itself in staying in the tree. It was waiting at the windowsill as if Alice's past invitation had made it officially okay for it to be so close. And he could _smell_ it. Venom was saturating his mouth and he felt like he was constantly drinking it.

Edward could no longer stand it. Torture wasn't bearable _that_ long. He marched to the window and hit the glass, intent on scaring the feline away for good. The cat did jump in fright when his knuckles hit the glass but it didn't disappear. It fled to the tree it had initially lingered in.

The distraught vampire watched the creature with a good amount of hatred.

"At this point, I _deserve_ to eat you" he jeered.

The little fluff ball blinked uncaringly and resumed its stalking activities with a watchful gaze.

With tripled resolve, Edward began planning the execution of his strawberry scented nuisance. His quick mind found a simple solution but he needed help. Hopefully, a merciful family member would provide it.

Esme had agreed to help Edward. After all, there was no harm in what he was asking her to do and she was always ready to give a hand. That is how she found herself climbing the tree inhabited by the watchful feline. Slowly, she reached the kitten's branch. Ever the odd one, the cat did not react to her presence. It yawned and even let the vampire pet it when Esme carefully extended her hand.

"It really isn't scared, is it?" Esme mused with awe. She scratched behind the soft ears and a light purr resounded in the tree. "It's absolutely adorable."

Edward didn't acquiesce. He kept his thoughts to himself, watching the odd interaction from his room. Yes, now that he took the time to really study it, the fur ball _was_, in a twisted way, an adorable little thing. A cute clumsy creature made for cuddles. Its divine chocolaty pelt inspired perverse desires to touch it and feel the softness, even from his distance. He would not admit to any of it out loud as he did not want to discuss the cat's qualities. He wished it gone before it drove him mad.

"Does it have a phone number? An address?" Edward questioned anxiously. The vampire hoped with all his might that the animal's collar came with contact information leading to its irresponsible owner. If it did, he would call them and share a piece of his mind. If they didn't keep the cat away afterwards, he would throw a tantrum beyond Rosalie's imagination.

He watched Esme flip the metal tag dangling from the collar. From the distance, his sharp eyes read five small letters: Bella. There was nothing else. The vampire's golden irises darkened to black and a low growl erupted from his chest. A name; that's all the owner had the decency to write! It was utterly useless information. Sure, knowing the animal's name made it easier to call it over, but what use did it give him in returning it to God-knew-where it belonged?

"Calm down, Edward. If little Bella here is making you this uncomfortable, let's just bring her to the nearest pound. They'll know what to do with her" Esme said as she scooped the cat up into her arms.

"Yes, let's" the irritable vampire agreed. Plan B it was, then.

He let Esme carry the fluffy kitten to the garage. He noticed it was struggling against her, trying to wiggle its way out of her strong hold. Edward found its behavior peculiar. Perhaps it simply didn't like being held. However, the attentive vampire couldn't help but think it had truly began its struggle after hearing the word "pound".

Edward didn't think about it more. He moved to the living room where he could continue supervising the kitty elimination plan. He thanked Esme for handling the devastating fur ball in his stead and watched her leave with the distressed feline in Carlisle's pristine vehicle. The vampire doctor was sure to find ripped leather on the seats when he saw his ride again.

Edward clenched his jaw nervously when he noticed the cat in the back window. As Esme drove away and the distance grew, it stared at him, its beady eyes never leaving him. The vampire stared back with a certain ache he could not comprehend well. Even Jasper would have found the emotion peculiar. Something in the cat's gaze was troubling him. There was distress. There was also sadness, or perhaps disappointment, which really didn't fit in the range of normal kitten emotions.

"Sorry" he found himself whispering as he struggled to understand the unjustified guilt he suddenly felt. The car quickly disappeared in the forest along with the source of his troubles. He willed his negative emotions away and returned to his room.

"Forget it. It's over. Time for peace again" he told himself, feeling the need for a little self-cheering up.

That night, Edward was glad vampires didn't sleep. It meant he couldn't dream of those miserable hazelnut eyes staring at him in the distance.

* * *

_Thursday_

The bronze-haired vampire had been just about to admit certain things to himself when his nose caught a familiar scent. He'd been about to admit he had found "Bella", as his family had taken to calling it, rather endearing and that he perhaps missed just a tiny bit the little wet nose outside his window. He had been about to admit he worried over the chocolate fluff and that he hoped it had found its owner. But thank God he hadn't because the fur ball was right there, in the woods again and all he could think about was how much he wanted to send it flying far away into the ocean.

The clumsy kitten was making its way towards his windowsill with a determined look. That's as close as he came to describing the bizarre expression it wore. Edward covered his face with his hand and groaned. What had he done to deserve this stubborn furry stalker?

"How in Hell did you find yourself here, _again_?" the vampire spoke. He watched, disheartened, as the strawberry-scented feline jumped to his outside windowsill and sat there facing him.

Inevitably, the tempting smell wafted over to him and he cringed as the monster in him wrestled to life. Though Edward was surprised by how easier it had become to suppress his thirst around his living bag of heroine. Perhaps exposure to the bouquet made it less tempting?

Who was he kidding? The cat needed to go. _Now_! If the pound couldn't handle it, then he would ship it far away to Africa.

Edward was just about to call Esme away from her staged grocery shopping to let her handle the kitten when something caught his attention. His index finger froze over the "talk" button of his cellphone and he studied the source of his new-found curiosity.

There was a piece of paper tied to the creature's collar.

For a good minute, which was considerably long for his quick vampire mind, Edward debated whether to snatch the paper himself or not. There was no one home to do it for him. The cat seemed to visit at the most quiet moments. But he was too intrigued to wait and his self-control had improved, had it not? He just needed to keep from breathing when he opened that window.

'_You're a fool' _the voice of reason said at the back of his mind._ 'A curious fool!'_

"Curiosity killed the cat" Edward murmured as he carefully approached his window.

How true his words could be.

Slowly, inch by inch, he opened one of his long double door windows, careful not to breathe and careful not to frighten the creature with sudden motions. Funny how scaring it away had been the only thing on his mind not very long ago.

The cat seemed to predict his intentions as it immediately unglued its button nose from the glass that would be slipping away. It mewed once and Edward caught the gentle hue of happiness in the shine of its eyes. The sight filled him with a hint of serenity which he felt silly for.

The cat was not foolish enough to try sneaking in. Edward figured it sensed it was unwelcomed in his room. He was glad.

"Come here, fur ball. Let's see what's around your neck" Edward said as he stretched his hand to reach the little collar. He kept his nose further away as possible and anyone witnessing the scene would have scratched elegance from their list of vampire attributes.

The cat gave a subtle hiss and it glared at Edward again, irritation mixing to the happiness he'd captured a second ago.

"What? I'm not your owner. Go find them if you want your name used, _Fur Ball_" the vampire said, feeling childish afterwards. He hadn't felt so unrefined in many, many years.

The cat sniffed unhappily and looked away in a pouting gesture. Edward shook his head in mild disbelief. He would have called the kitten an oddity of Nature if he had any breath left to speak. It was eerie how human it could look.

The vampire finally took the note and quickly shut the window before the cat could try anything funny. He didn't want to get rid of his new couch like Alice had the old one. In the safety of his room, Edward studied the paper he'd acquired while making sure he didn't breathe just yet. He would have to air out his room when the feline was gone.

Edward notice a black script on the white material and his curiosity urged him to read it. So he did, all the while feeling the watchful gaze of the feline.

_Robber of my attention, _It read.

_Please return what is mine, _

_Or accept that I should share my mind, _

_Now, tomorrow and after time. _

Edward blinked and scanned the words again to make sure his eyes weren't tricking him. The note did not contain expected material. The poem was not expected _at all_.

What in the name of blood was he suppose to think?!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! Glad to be back after so long. Wish I could've kept my word about my absence lasting about 2 months. It's been more than that I know.

So, in this chapter, we get a perspective of the story through Bella's mind and you get to understand what's up with the fur ball annoying poor Edward ;)

Disclaimer: Everything from the Twilight world belongs to S.M. I don't make money with these stories and blablabla

Enjoy! See you in the next chapter! Review if you can :)

* * *

Bella was trapped. The woman named Esme had brought her to a pound and they had caged her. There'd been no escaping from Esme's strong hold. Bella had tried to gently sink her claws in the skin clutching her but they had met a strange resistance. Many things were strange about the people living in the forest house. She didn't mind. She was strange herself.

Bella sneezed. There were so many odors in the metal room, so many animals. The strong smells of disinfectant and excrement irritated her sensitive nose. She looked beyond the bars of her individual cage, studying her environment to find a way to freedom. There was the occasional human walking by, muttering codes and inventory materials. No matter how much she mewed or how round she made her eyes to be, she was ignored or given nothing but small smiles. None were tempted to hold her for a while. If only they would; she would fight her way out of their grasp and run away.

Unfortunately, Bella could see on the opposite wall a panel forbidding staff from handling animals without their superior's permission. She sighed and her cat form emitted a small wheezing noise.

Eventually, voices traveled to her twitching ears and she stood attentive in her cage, trying to decipher the conversation of incoming men.

"I'm telling ya, the chick was super hot, like top model hot!" A fat man said while swinging the right side of the room's double door open. His gesture was copied for the left door by the man he spoke to.

"Even with the huge circles under her eyes, she looked drop-dead gorgeous" the fat man continued excitedly, the pleasure of his memory glazing his twinkling eyes.

"And where is this kitten she brought in?" the other, healthier looking man said, his business tone bringing his partner back to the present.

"There" the fat man's index pointed at Bella and she suppressed the instinctual urge to hiss. "It's that brown fluffy one. The Burmese-alike."

"And no identification you said?" the serious man asked, noting things on a pad.

"Just a name. No contact information on the collar and no identification code."

The kitten sniffed. Of course there wouldn't be. Her odd nature required secrecy. Otherwise, it was easier to end up in a lab surrounded by hyped scientists, ready to poke and prod her skin for any disease explaining her furry disposition. She did however include her name on a tag for her desire to have a certain bronze-haired man call her by her name…which he hadn't, despite her efforts to wear the letters around her neck. Bella hated wearing a collar. It scratched unpleasantly and gave a slight choking sensation. However, the discomfort she could bear for the forest god.

Bella remembered the day she'd met him with such clarity it haunted her. She had been in her cat form, wondering the forest of Forks, trying to decide whether to live permanently in town with her father or not. She wasn't keen of the wet moss everywhere but she didn't like being in the way of her mother's romance with Bill, her new lover. They were good together and they deserved to travel for his baseball career without the guilt of leaving her alone in Phoenix.

That day had been particularly windy and like a hunting feline, she had stuck her face in the strong winds to feel the coolness of them and welcome the smells of the forest. She'd been enjoying it immensely, the feeling reminding her of freedom. Then, she'd caught a scent that did not belong to Forks' Nature. It had awakened her curiosity and she'd decided to explore the origin of the honey-sunshine textures her little wet nose had detected.

It had led her to a corporeal presence of a mystical being. Her oval-shaped eyes had widened at the sight and her muscles had locked into stillness. Her ears had forgotten to hear, her paws had forgotten to feel and her nose had forgotten to smell. She had instantly lost herself in gazing and had felt the unfamiliar need to catch every movement ahead.

Ahead had been a man; a beautiful pale man digging his pearly white teeth in the neck a motionless deer. He had been draining its essence, sucking life out of the dying animal and the sun had been shining down on them as if Nature had approved of the act. It hadn't seemed real. It had resembled a strange and fascinating painting. It had been frightening.

The man was no man. She had understood as much as her eyes had taken in the fine lines and colors that had shaped him. The angel-pale skin had been unblemished and the sun caressing it had made it shine like tiny crystals. The "man" had displayed lithe speed and refinement no ordinary human could ever hope to attain. The way he had stood, drinking effortlessly from the heavy beast he'd supported had been elegant in an impossible manner.

When the quenched man had disposed of the carcass with a semblance of respect, he had stood taller amid the trees, slowly licking his pale lips with transparent satisfaction. Her heart had skipped a beat. She had felt it stop only to pump back to life at an increasing pace. The snow-white creature had been stunning in his contemplation of satiation.

Then, he had outshone his previous elegance by looking up to the sun, closing his eyes and meeting the warm rays with an expression of wholesome bliss. The soft secret smile he'd given to the heavens had dazed Bella's soul, had made her desire the smile for her own. In that instance, the man had become an exotic bird she wanted to cage and keep. Except, the man had caged her first, without him even knowing it.

She needed to know this man, the beautiful creature. She did not care what he was and she hoped he would not care what _she_ was.

"Alright…" the healthy manager-like man spoke, taking Bella out of her reverie, "We'll keep her for a couple of days. If the owner doesn't show up, please fill the S-54 form and go along with the procedures."

The other man nodded in understanding.

"I'm leaving. Don't forget your four-o'clock round" the manager finished. He turned on his feet and marched out of the room with the fat man leaving in tow.

By the time the doors swung shut, the little cat was rigid with fear. Bella didn't know what form S-54 was and she wanted to keep things that way.

Unfortunately, Charlie wasn't about to find her anytime soon. Sure, he could send the cops looking for her if she didn't come back overnight but he couldn't tell them to look for a shaking kitten. She needed to escape on her own.

Bella unhappily took in the size of her cage and glared at the surveillance camera in the corner of the room. If she transformed into her human form, she would be squished to a pulp by the metal bars and caught on camera, leading to a crippled human and painful lab experiments.

The easy way out was unfortunately not possible. So Bella worked her intelligent brain and slept for the rest of the afternoon with a quick found plan in the back of her mind.

* * *

It was 4:01 in the afternoon.

Bella's feline ears rose on her little head as they picked up the distant sound of heavy, clumsy footsteps. She sneezed again from the irritating air and that managed to wake her up more.

Good.

It was time for action.

The fat man from before entered the room through the swinging doors, whistling a cartoon tune. She interrupted his performance with sounds of her own. Making choking noises, she pretended to be heaving out a nasty fur ball. The man's attention was caught and she tuned-up her performance to keep his eyes on her. She curved her back, wheezed and spat as she clawed at the ground. She was going to fake a choking death.

Her hisses and raspy breathing grew in intensity and when the man looked worried enough, she dropped to the ground. She made her muscles twitch a bit and then she froze into a final position of fake agony. The animals in the room barked and mewed with instinctual apprehension and the worker rushed to her cage, cursing as he went about opening the little door to grab her.

"Come on kitty, don't be dead, don't be dead" he chanted as he frantically groped her neck to check for a pulse.

"Still breathing!" the man exclaimed with relief. "Let's get you to the vet, you poor little thing. How could you choke on your own fur? What a terrible way to play with death."

Bella almost smirked as the man cuddled her close and carried her limp body out of the room of doom.

Minutes later, she was a happy, free cat strolling in the nearby forest while the "savior" of the day nursed angry-red claw marks and cursed the escape of the Burmese-alike.

Bella was ready to head home, so when she was absolutely sure no one was around, she transformed back into her human form. It took seconds and then she was much taller and much less furry. The all mighty ball of cuteness, as Renee had taken to describing her, was gone.

It was easy to go from two legs to four furry paws and switch back. She was used to it by now. She had practiced it from the day she had unintentionally meowed before drinking a glass of milk. Renée had laughed then and given her a book about cat inheritance with a terrifying level of excitement.

Bella had been fourteen and utterly scared by the book's content.

"_You have a cat in you_" her mother had told her while she had been scanning through the ancient yellow pages. "_Read this tome and you'll be able to shift into your feline form._"

The following months had been worse than a teenage crisis for her but she had learned to find the positive sides to her so called inheritance and things had eventually smoothened out.

Bella stopped thinking of that terrible past and walked out of the forest to find a phone and a map. She needed to find her way home and she needed to put an end to the heart attack Charlie was surely having due to her disappearance.

That night, after being picked up by her father in his patrol car, being scolded by a nearly crying Charlie and being taken home, she sat at her work desk and planned. She planned a way to get into the green-eyed boy's life. Because evidently, he seemed intent on leaving her out of it and she was not going to have that.

Soon, ideas graphed themselves into her mind and with growing resolve; she put a plan into action.

Taking a pen and some paper, she wrote to the one who had taken her heart.

_Robber of my attention,_

_Please return what is mine, _

_Or accept that I should share my mind, _

_Now, tomorrow and after time. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Yay! Another chapter! Kitty Bella's up to something, you all know. But Edward doesn't ;)_

_Disclaimer: Like many authors of fanfiction, I wish I was the creator of the Twilight world and I wish I could make money by having my way with the SM's characters. Key words: I wish..._

_Thanks for your ongoing support and if you can, p__lease review (purr purr)!_

* * *

_Thursday_

Edward stepped into his meadow and quietly sat down in the soft bed of grass and flowers. The open forest space he had found in Forks was a peaceful, desolated universe he often visited.

For a moment, he contemplated the full moon and its glow over the flowers and trees surrounding him. He focused on the cool evening air and how it felt warm to his cold skin. He focused on the smells too. The blend of scented flowers was calming. Here, he could breathe, if he wanted to.

His peace didn't last as long as he would have liked. The poem quickly revisited his mind, teasing him and putting him on edge. So Edward took advantage of the comforting place to think calmly and rationally about the mystery he'd found at his window.

Slowly but surely an idea, or rather a theory, formed in his thoughts and he mentally gathered the supporting evidence while mindlessly plucking the small wild flowers in his reach.

'_The cat is intelligent…_' he thought slowly, thinking of how it seemed to understand him, thinking of how it had found its way back to the forest house.

'_It has human expressions too_' he added, remembering the glares, the disappointment, the anger and the happiness he'd seen on the fur ball's face.

'_Shape-shifters exist, so maybe_…'

"Then it would make more sense that a cat is bringing me a note…but for what purpose?" he mused out loud.

Very abruptly, Edward stood and began running home, speeding as if a race was on.

"Let's find out!"

* * *

The cat wasn't in the area. Edward was in his room and he was relieved to see that after being scared away by Alice, the fur ball had yet to return. He knew now that releasing his sister (and her desire to play dress up) on the cat was enough to have the feline running away for its dignity. He hoped however that it would eventually return for he needed its cooperation to figure things out.

The vampire lazily took a pen and began scratching words on a piece of parchment. In three minutes, his investigation plan had been initiated; he had written had a reply to the poem he'd received. It was a poem of his own. Fight fire with fire, poem with poem.

'_Might as well_' he though as he read the lines one last time before sealing it away in an envelope.

_Tell me stranger,_

_What have I stolen, _

_That deserves this unfair attention?_

_Who are you stranger,_

_And why send a kitten?_

"That should do it for now…" he muttered quietly and left his room to play some piano.

He nearly strangled Emmett when his brother passed by and told him the new melody he was working on reminded him of a trotting cat.

* * *

_Friday_

"There you are. Again" Edward said with partial resentment, looking at the cat outside his window.

Big butterscotch eyes blinked at him and a mew reached his ears.

"Yes, hello to you too" the vampire answered sarcastically while trying not to breath in the strawberry scent. He also tried not to waste all the air in his lungs on useless banter but that was tough too; the cat brought out the worst in him.

"I know your secret" he told the cat, not wasting time to investigate. He hoped to God he wasn't actually talking to a normal housecat. He'd feel embarrassed about it later.

"I know you're human too" he continued.

The cat jerked its head backwards and its eyes grew impossibly wider. Edward smirked in victory.

"Ha! You understood what I just said, didn't you?"

"Edward, you're losing your mind."

The vampire looked over his shoulder and glared at his blond sister who had appeared at his door, leaning on it, her arms and legs crossed.

"I am not!" he argued immediately, feeling a tad childish because part of him actually sided with Rosalie.

The tall blond raised an eyebrow.

"Edward, if that thing was actually human, than you would be able to hear its mind, just like you hear those mutts whenever they're nearby" she countered.

Edward frowned. "I've thought of that but what if it's different, what if I can't read the minds of all species inhabiting this planet?"

Rosalie snorted.

"Dear brother, if you insist on accusing this strawberry fur ball of being some mutant shape-shifter, than go ahead and do it. We'll go ahead and laugh behind your back…and in your face…when we can't help it" Rosalie said, uncaring. She pushed herself off the door and left with a huff, flicking her hair off her shoulder.

For a short moment, Edward continued glaring at the spot she had been in.

"Evil sisters…" he mumbled.

"And you!" he said more clearly, shifting his gaze back to the cat. "You're ruining my reputation. Before you came along, I was calm, collected, intelligent and confident!"

The cat blinked innocently. Stupidly. Yes, Edward had to start convincing himself that it was just another stupid, NORMAL housecat. Only…slightly smarter, and more expressive, and…a mail-cat.

If things kept being weird, Edward was going to rip his hair out.

"Mew!"

The vampire stopped pulling at his unruly bronzed hair and focused on the noisy animal outside his window. It was swishing its tail and following his every move with its innocent beady eyes. The fur ball looked so…squishable. If Alice had been present, she would have caught the cat in a choking embrace, killing it with too much love.

Edward sighed.

"Fine! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. You are just a cat. Yes, that's right. Just a cat. And you have an old-fashion master who writes poems and uses uncommon methods (also known as cats) to communicate."

Edward groaned. What he'd just said was the most reasonable theory he'd constructed but it sounded like thoughtless verbal diarrhea.

"I need you to carry a message to your master. Understand? Can you hear me through the glass?"

The chocolate pelt yawned.

"Tsk. Clueless fur ball."

Edward got his poem and slid the window open. Like before, the cat seemed to predict his move and made sure to remove its nose from the moving glass.

Edward caught a stronger whiff of the cat's scent and moaned from the burning pain in his throat.

"Oh! God, I bet you'd taste great in a mug."

The cat didn't scamper away at his comment and the vampire was glad to use this fact to support his current theory. If the cat was human; if it had been able to understand, it wouldn't have stayed so close. It would have run for its life.

The cat was just that; a cat.

Instead of running away, the feline watched him get closer with what could only be described as blind trust.

Carefully, Edward tied the envelope containing his poem around the cat's collar. The quiet creature didn't flinch or act nervous in his proximity. In fact, it was calm as sleep and seemed to be leaning in. It definitely sniffed at him.

As soon as the message was tied securely around the animals' neck, Edward closed the window and left his room to stay free of the torturous smell.

He joined his family in his living room and didn't miss the secretive smirks his brothers and sisters exchanged. He tried to ignore the condescending thoughts of his traitorous siblings. To help him in his task, he distracted himself by focusing on the little heartbeat outside. It was fast, probably normal for a cat. It was strong too. It was…he had to admit eventually, somewhat soothing.

Soon, he heard one last mew and the heartbeat traveled; the little creature's paws crunched leaves as they worked their way out of the premises. Edward wondered why the cat was leaving after such little time spent near him. The animal's stalkerish activities hadn't been discouraged by him changing rooms before.

He worked to convinced himself he didn't care about its early departure but part of him pondered over it, wondering if the cat had gotten bored and wouldn't return again.

Edward faintly shook his head. No. It would definitely be back. It was too curious. His owner was curious.

And perhaps next time, when he was in the mood, he would tail the creature. It would lead him to its master and the vampire would be able to quickly solve the mystery.

* * *

_Sunday_

Edward was trying to maneuver his Mario go-kart around the banana peels Emmett was releasing on the racing track. It was so easy to beat his siblings at video games since he could predict their moves by reading their thoughts. Today was no exception. He swerved around the traps laid by the other karts and came in first place.

However, Edward couldn't help but think he hadn't played as well as he usually did and he refused to blame this possibility on the absence of his stalker. The cat hadn't returned yesterday and it had yet to show up today. But he was by no means upset by this.

"I almost beat you this time, Eddie. Better watch your back; seems like I'm getting better" Emmett teased with a wide grin as he shut the game down and proceeded to stretch his limbs.

Edward smirked.

"Sure. Go ahead and get better. You'll never win without cheating though."

"If you keep worrying about your cat, sure I will" the burly man replied to provoke his brother.

The comment hit a nerve and Edward accidentally crushed the remote control in his anger.

"But in a way, you're constantly cheating you know?" Alice told Edward, aggravating his mood.

"Now, now," Esme's soothing voice came from the kitchen. She was baking a pie for her clients in interior decorating and the whole floor smelled like human food.

"We've already debated this before. Using one's ability is not considered cheating. Asking someone to distract your opponent with dirty minded thoughts is definitely cheating; right Emmett?" the coven's mother figure reminded the living room's occupants.

The siblings chuckled away but Edward remained tense and annoyed. In a swift motion, he stood and escaped the laughing crowd. He ran out of the house and into the forest. He spent the remainder of the day hunting further and further into the mountains, trying to calm down.

He loved his family and he knew they loved him back. But for the first time, he felt uncomfortable around them. He guessed that source of discomfort came from not understanding himself as much as he thought he did. How had he become someone so easily shaken? Why had he decided to let a cat live if it caused him so much turmoil? He'd kill humans before yet he couldn't kill a cat. How messed up was he?

On his way home, Edward stopped by a pet shop and visited the cat section. The vampire unwillingly created a path of barks and hisses as he made his way there. His nature put animals on edge and their reaction to him always made him stand out. Hence, he categorically avoided pet shops. But only this once he'd risk being the center of negative attention. He needed to verify something.

He came close to a bunch of kittens and initially they all either hid in their cages or violently hissed at him. None of them smelled like his personal brand of heroin he noted immediately.

He watched them for a long time. Eventually, a saleswoman approached him. She smiled sweetly and asked in a flirty tone if he'd like to try holding one of the kittens. She shoved a black fluffy one in his arms and it snarled at him.

"Oh! Don't take it personally. Some of them are just fussy that way" the young woman said, quickly grabbing back the upset kitten. At that point, Edward had had enough. Like a true gentleman, he thanked the lady for "helping" him, giving her a polite smile, and left the store.

As Edward continued his journey home, he thought about the kittens he'd seen and the black one he'd held. They had been adorable, fluffy. The black one had been warm and squishy. Some of them had played and tricked their cellmates intelligently.

They were like his stalker…and yet they weren't, not really. They didn't smell like strawberries.

But it was more than that. Edward didn't know how to describe it. All he could say, and quite reluctantly, is that he'd rather have _that_ fluffy ball outside his window than any of the kittens he'd seen today.

When Edward finally came home, it was half past midnight. He briefly greeted the other vampires and headed straight for his room. When he noticed the strawberry scented envelope on his couch, his dead heart skipped a beat and he went still.


End file.
